Scalable Maximum Entropy Reinforcement Learning for Diffusion Policies via Adjoint Matching

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2606.22630v1
• Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2026 18:32:25 GMT
• Title: Scalable Maximum Entropy Reinforcement Learning for Diffusion Policies via Adjoint Matching
• Abstract summary: Diffusion policies represent complex action distributions in reinforcement learning (RL)<n>We introduce a highly efficient algorithm for optimizing diffusion policies by leveraging recent advances in optimal control.<n>Our approach is based on adjoint matching, which enables simulation-free training and circumvents the need for explicit likelihood estimation.
• Score: 25.3394501858201
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Diffusion policies have recently emerged as a powerful paradigm for representing complex action distributions in reinforcement learning (RL). However, their application to online RL remains limited by the challenge of scalable training in the absence of ground-truth data, where standard optimization techniques such as score matching are not directly applicable. In this work, we introduce a highly efficient algorithm for optimizing diffusion policies by leveraging recent advances in stochastic optimal control. Our approach is based on adjoint matching, which enables simulation-free training and circumvents the need for explicit likelihood estimation or costly backpropagation through the diffusion process. Furthermore, we propose several extensions that improve the robustness and stability of the method in practical settings. Empirical results demonstrate that our approach achieves competitive performance while significantly reducing computational overhead, making diffusion policies more viable for online RL scenarios.

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